Recommended Reads

REVIEW:  Real by Katy Evans

REVIEW: Real by Katy Evans

Dear Ms. Evans: When Jane contacted me and said that there was a new book coming out with an underground fighter hero, I immediately requested the book. I love fighters, and the high stakes physicality of them. Your new book, Real, features Remington Tate, a disgraced boxer, who now is fighting on the Underground circuit,(…)

REVIEW:  After Hours by Cara McKenna

REVIEW: After Hours by Cara McKenna

Dear Ms. McKenna: After Hours is a gritty romance. It’s set in the economic wreck that is much of the state of Michigan. The protagonists work a “high security ward designed specifically for men who suffered from persistent, disruptive psychotic episodes.” The story contains poverty, violence, and people who just barely make it through each day. The(…)

REVIEW:  Lush – Delicious Book 3 by Lauren Dane

REVIEW: Lush – Delicious Book 3 by Lauren Dane

Dear Ms. Dane: After reading this book, I have a new favorite hero trope: I call it, “Hero in Hot Pursuit”. Mary Whaley runs a very successful catering company and a supper club. She has good friends, a loving family and is generally both busy and truly happy with her life. She offers to cater(…)

REVIEW:  Must Like Kids by Jackie Braun

REVIEW: Must Like Kids by Jackie Braun

“Children have a place and it’s anywhere I’m not!” It was one off-the-cuff remark. But when it goes viral, Alec McAvoy is labeled the playboy CEO of Best for Baby–who hates kids! Enter Julia Stillwell, image consultant extraordinaire. The widowed mom of two has a knack for changing public opinion, and she’ll teach Alec all(…)

REVIEW:  Back Across the Styx by Karalynn Lee

REVIEW: Back Across the Styx by Karalynn Lee

“Hades and Persephone have a son, and he’s feeling trapped in the underworld. Bion’s one solace is his friend since childhood, Myrinne, a mortal girl who was adopted by Charon the Ferryman. When Myrinne is kidnapped during a jailbreak from the underworld, Bion’s rescue becomes a chance to experience life in the sunlit lands. He(…)

REVIEW:  Captive Prince, Volumes 1 and 2, by S.U. Pacat

REVIEW: Captive Prince, Volumes 1 and 2, by S.U. Pacat

Dear Ms. Pacat, I thought about reviewing the two volumes of Captive Prince separately, but came to the conclusion that since they are two parts of the same story and absolutely must be read in order, this made no sense. I understand that there will be a third volume out in 2014, and I will(…)

REVIEW:  Also Known As by Robin Benway

REVIEW: Also Known As by Robin Benway

Dear Ms. Benway, I’m very fond of novels about teenage spies and grifters. But while I get a steady grifter fix from series like Holly Black’s Curseworker trilogy or Ally Carter’s Heist Society series, there’s a definite lack of YA spies. So when your novel appeared on my radar, I snapped it up. Maggie Silver(…)

REVIEW:  Thrown By A Curve by Jaci Burton

REVIEW: Thrown By A Curve by Jaci Burton

Dear Ms. Burton: Just last baseball season, I finally became seduced by the sport after watching the Washington Nationals’ (Go Nats!) improbable run into the post season. The Nationals’ star pitcher had reconstructive elbow surgery almost two years ago now, so the set-up for Thrown by a Curve interested me. Garrett Scott is a star(…)

Dear Author Recommends for March 2013

Dear Author Recommends for March 2013

Hold on to your hats (or wallets) because we have a slew of recommended reads this month. We will have reviews of all of these books this month. From Jayne: A Little Folly by Jude Morgan Shadows and Strongholds by Elizabeth Chadwick (out of print and re-released) The India Fan by Victoria Hold (US release(…)

REVIEW:  Mind Games by Kiersten White

REVIEW: Mind Games by Kiersten White

Dear Ms. White, Despite hearing good things about your Paranormalcy trilogy, I haven’t had the chance to pick them up yet. My paranormal weariness usually results in my passing over books in favor of something fresh and new (to me). But when I heard that you were writing a thriller about sisters, I was intrigued.(…)

REVIEW:  The Trouble with Valentine’s by Kelly Hunter

REVIEW: The Trouble with Valentine’s by Kelly Hunter

NOTE: Originally released as “Wife for a Week.” “The perfect Valentine’s gift? As far as women’s fashion accessories went, he was spectacular. A black-haired, cobalt-eyed, dangerous- looking toy who no doubt warned you outright not to bother playing with him if you didn’t like his rules. He was like a Hermes handbag; women saw and(…)

REVIEW:  Going Under (A Bound by Magick Novel) by Lauren Dane

REVIEW: Going Under (A Bound by Magick Novel) by Lauren Dane

Dear Ms. Dane: Your Bound by Magick series is my favorite of your paranormal series. Clan Owen, one of the largest and oldest covens of witches in the United States is recovering from the horror of the Magister, a superpowered enemy that annihilated much of witch-kind, but was beaten back at the end of the(…)

Recommended Reads by Dear Author for February 2012

Recommended Reads by Dear Author for February 2012

Erotic romances: Rush by Maya Banks (reviewed and recommended by Kati D) Going Under by Lauren Dane (review to come, recommended by Kati D) Historical The Typewriter Girl by Alison Atlee (reviewed and recommended by Jennie) One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah MacLean  (reviewed  by Dabney who initially recommended it but upon review decided(…)

REVIEW:  Rush (The Breathless Trilogy) by Maya Banks

REVIEW: Rush (The Breathless Trilogy) by Maya Banks

Dear Ms. Banks: When I heard you were publishing a “50-esque” trilogy, I knew immediately that it would be on my reading list. Although I have hit-or-miss luck with some of your books, you write dandy alpha males, and I love nothing better than your dominant males, so I was optimistic about this reading experience(…)

REVIEW:  Addicted by Charlotte Stein

REVIEW: Addicted by Charlotte Stein

Dear Ms. Stein: Addicted is the third work of yours I’ve read. (The other two are Sheltered (reviewed here by Jane and January) and Restraint.) I’ve enjoyed all three works–Restraint is my favorite–but, after I finish each book, I think, who the hell were those people? That’s not a bad thing–in fact, I like it.(…)